"If it's not so bad, as we hope, if it's just a bit of rest and no operation needed, then he gets a bit of time off and is ready for the Ashes"

Packing up: Pietersen is returning home as England play the final Test in New Zealand (Photo: Gareth Copley)

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From Mike Walters in Auckland

Kevin Pietersen arrives home on Friday with England captain Alastair Cook declaring his reintegration a success but his crocked right knee a source of intrigue.

Ruled out of the final Test with New Zealand, which begins at Eden Park on Thursday night UK time, Pietersen made a bizarre farewell appearance on tour at net practice hours after his sicknote had been sanctioned by the Lord's medical wing.

Instead of being smuggled out of the nearest side exit, or airlifted from the spot where he fell under cover of darkness, Pietersen - who may need a cartilage operation - even joined in a few gentle fielding drills.

The romantic interpretation of KP's encore was a final act of reintegration before limping to the check-in desk.

Those who seek to demonise him detected an air of detention for a pupil bunking off before the end of term.

Even in the closing overs of a winter where his value to the Test side has never been more stark - England will miss him like hell while he's gone - Pietersen continues to polarise attitudes and arouse suspicion.

Although he has been ruled out of all cricket for up to eight weeks, including a planned five-week stint with Delhi Daredevils in the dumbslog millionaires playground of the Indian Premier League, Pietersen's earning power will not be severely damaged.

He is understood to have taken out payment protection insurance on his £1m assignment.

If he is lucky, telesales battery-hens will not ring him in the middle of the night to offer him legal assistance with his premiums.

Cook, who fought to have Pietersen reinstated after last summer's soap opera of text messages and dressing room intrigue, had a face like thunder when he arrived to fulfil his eve-of-Test media obligations at Eden Park.

If there had been any falling-out over KP's early cut from the series, Captain Cook presented an immaculate straight bat to all questions about Pietersen's reintegration.

He said: "He's done extremely well, it's great having him back. I said at the beginning of the winter, in India, you want to be able to pick from your best squad - we managed to do that, and he's fitted in really well.

"It's just a shame that his winter has ended a little bit early with his knee, but I'm satisfied with his commitment, without a doubt, throughout this winter.

"That innings in Mumbai was a fantastic one at a very crucial time, and that shows his worth to the team. Not many people could play that innings, and that's why we need him in an England shirt as often as we can.

"He hasn't been 100 per cent in New Zealand since the warm-up game in Queenstown, but he's put his body on the line trying to play for England. That's all you want from all your players.

"Yes, clearly we're disappointed he could not get through this decider because to win any Test series away from home is a great achievement and you want your best players available.

"But injuries - and they have happened to Graeme Swann on this tour, and now KP - are part and parcel of international sport. He's played through a bit of pain for those first two games, and there comes a time when you have got to manage the situation as well as you can.

"I don't know his personal situation about insurance and the IPL - I assume he has got some, you'd be pretty foolish if you didn't.

"I guess you can look at it as being a good thing for English cricket that he's missing the IPL, but at the moment it's not great for English cricket that one of our best players has an injury concern going into the summer.

"That's not ideal - if the injury is not so bad, as we hope, and it's just a bit of rest and no operation needed, then on the plus side he gets a bit of time off and is ready to go for the Ashes. But his knee has got a lot worse, otherwise he would still be playing now.

"Scans can only tell so much. Fitness has got to be partly about how the player feels as well, and it's getting a little blown out of proportion. He's had a bad knee, it's got progressively worse and now we've made the decision that he's going home to have it looked at.

"It's important that he's fit as soon as he can be. Sometimes you do look at future planning, but if this was an Ashes Test match, he wouldn't be playing in it.

"We all know in the dressing room that you are going to miss players at certain times through injury, but touch-wood we can go into the summer with a fully fit squad because Swanny and Tim Bresnan are recovering well from their elbow operations."

Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow was drafted in to cover for Pietersen in the best-of-three decider with the Kiwis, but Cook admitted: "Obviously it's a blow when you lose one of your senior batsmen and a guy who has performed consistently well for us over a number of years. He's a great player who will be missed.

"We did think he would be OK (to get through the whole series), but clearly it was reviewed on a game-by-game basis. He felt he could get through, and we felt he could get through, those first two Tests, but this game might be a step too far.

"It's important now we don't jump to too many conclusions. He goes home and sees the specialist to see exactly what is wrong with him, and we'll have to wait a little bit to get the full scan results. Fingers crossed, he should be ready for our home series with New Zealand in May."